Tandem draft-rigging attachment.



No. 696,184. Pate nted Mar 25, I902.

T. L. MCKEEN.

TANDEM DRAFT RIGGING ATTACHMENT.

(Application filed Jan. 15, 1902. I V v 2 Shaets Shef I;

(No Model.)

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TANDEM DBAFTRIGGING ATTACHMENT.

(AppTication filed 2 Sheets Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

m z If E... aw g T UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

TANDEM DRAFT-RIGGING ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,14, dated March 25,1902'. Application filed January 15, 1902. Serial No. 89,840. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs L. MCKEEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residingat Easton, in the county of Northampton and State ofPennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TandemDraft-Rigging Attachments; and I do'hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilledin the art to which it ap'pertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in draw-baror draftrigging attachments for railroad -cars and particularly to thatclass known as tandem draft-rigging.

My invention has for its object the production of a rigging which shallbe economic of construction, readily assembled, and durable andpositivein action; and with these objects in view my invention consistsof suit-- able housings or cheek-plates adapted to be secured inposition upon the draft-timbers of a car and provided withtwo stops neareach end and two end followers, two interchangeable push-bars bearing attheir outer ends against the end followers and formed at their adjacentends with heads having longitudinal studs or fingers and intermediategates or openings, two intermediate followers, springs between the endfollowers and intermediate followers, all inclosed Within the yoke of anordinary draw-bar and supported vertically upon suitable carry-bars, aswill be hereinafter and in detail fully explained.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay know how to make and use my invention and to fully appreciate all ofits advantages, I will proceed to describe the construction andoperation of the same, referring by letters to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a central horizontal section showing myimproved draft-rigging applied to the draft-timbers of an ordinaryrailroadcar. Fig. 2 is an end View of one of the pushbars. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line w on of Fig.1, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line y y of Fig. 4looking in the direction of the arrow.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

A A are the ordinary draft-timbers of the car, which are recessed toreceive cheekplates or housings B, formed with two vertical stops 0 ateach end and which are braced and strengthened by longitudinal ribs D inan obvious manner.

E represents horizontal wings or flanges provided with bolt-holes F,bymeans of which and suitable vertical bolts F the housings may be securedto the drafttimbers in the manner described in another application filedby me 'on the 3d day of August, 1901, No. 70,814, or they may be securedin position in any otherdesired manner. The vertical end stops 0terminate a short distance above the lower edge of the cheek-plates, asclearly shown at Fig. 4, in order that suitable carrybars G may besecured. in position by bolts H or otherwise to support the followers,pushbars, and springs.

II are end followers adapted to contact with the end stops C on thecheek-plates or housings to limit the movements of the drawbar and toprevent the setting of the springs.

K K are push-bars formed at their adjacent ends with heads L, from whichproject fingers or studs M, and intermediate of these studs arecorrespondingly-shaped gates or passages N, so that when the twopush-bars are properly located, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the fingersor studs M of each push-bar will enter and pass through thecorresponding gates or passages of the other and bear againstintermediate followers 0, which are located upon the stem of thepush-bars K, as clearly shown. The point of juncture between the stemand the head of the push-bars is strengthened and reinforced, as shownat P, Fig. 3, and the intermediate followers are correspondingly reamedout, so that they may be located against the inside surface of the headsL. The ordinary spiral springs Q are located around the stems of thepush-bars and between the end followers I and the intermediate followersO, and the yoke R of the draw bar passes around the assembled parts, asclearly shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.

The stems of the push-bars K are prefer- "ably cast hollow, as shown, toavoid unnec- IOO justment.

essary weight, and the strengthening-ribs D of the cheek-plates orhousings for strength ening the vertical stops 0 are inclined andterminate at such point as not to interfere with the longitudinalmovement of the heads of the push-bars and the intermediate followers,as clearly shown at Fig. 4 and in dotted lines at Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the push-bars are substantially duplicates of oneanother and that likewise the end followers and intermediate followersare also respectively duplicates, as are also the cheek-plates orhousings and the springs, and hence any one of the parts which maybecome defective from wear or broken in use may be readily substitutedand that the several parts being all held in proper assembled relationmay be readily removed one from the other by simply removing thecarry-bars G, which, as hereinbefore stated, may be such as shown anddescribed or of any other preferred form and manner of ad- It will alsobe seen that I avoid the use of any cage or case for locating andretaining the springs Q by simply stringing them upon the stems of thepush-bars, and hence my draft-rigging is constituted of a comparativelysmall number of parts, all of simple construction, and hence the riggingas a whole is economic ofconstruction. In operation and when a buffingstrain is exerted the front end follower is forced against the frontsprings, and bearing also against the front end of the stem of theforward push-bar the latter is forced to the rear. The studs or fingersM of the adjacent heads of the forward and rear push-bars enter and passthrough the correspondingly-shaped gates or openings N and bear againstthe intermediate followers 0, so that both sets of springs aresimultaneously compressed until the front end follower contacts with theinner vertical stops 0 of the cheek-plates or followers, and thus avoidsthe setting of the springs. \Vhen a pulling strain is exerted, theaction is reversed in an obvious manner, and the rear end followercontacts with the inner vertical stops C at that end of the device.

Many changes may be made in the mere details of construction and thecharacter of material employed Without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

ment, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tandem draft-rigging, in combination with housings secured tothe draft-timbers and provided with two vertical stops at each end witha recess between them, end followers located in said recesses, push-bars having stems bearing against the end followers and formed withheads having projecting studs or fingers and intermediate gates oropenings, intermediate followers strung upon the stems of the push-bars,springs surrounding the stems of the push-bars and confined between theend followers and intermediate followers, a yoke surrounding thefollowers, push-bars and springs, and carry-bars scoured to thehousings, and supporting the followers, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a tandem draft-rigging such as described, push-bars adapted tosupport the springs and intermediate followers, and formed at theiradjacent ends with heads provided with longitudinal studs or fingers andintermediate gates or openings, whereby the studs or fingers of eachpush-bar may enter and reciprocate within the corresponding gates oropenings of the other, to simultaneously act upon tandem springs,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a tandem draft-rigging, and in combination with the housingssecured to the draft-timbers and provided with.double end stops, andwith end followers located between the double end stops;longitudinally-movable devices supporting intermediate followers andsprings, and formed with means movable relatively to each other, forcontacting with the intermediate followers, a yoke surrounding thefollowers, springs and longitudinally-movable devices, and carry-barssecured to the housings and supporting the end followers, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN.

Witnesses:

J. W. WILsoN, H. D. MAXWELL.

